As a regular user of the internet you might have sometimes wondered why we have only a few domain extensions (ex:, dot com, dot net, dot org, dot in etc). And why cant we have them of our own. Why can’t we create a domain extension like dot India, it would have been better if every Indian had a domain with his/her name like Imran(dot)India. This would have been so awesome. But this dream is not far from reality.

A recent board of directors meeting in Singapore of the ICANN, approved such domain extension, specifically called as the “Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs). Currently we have only 22 gTLDs but with this update we can have any number of gTLDs.

Since the last decade the industry has been demanding the ICANN to allow them to register the Generic Top-level Domains. But the board was reluctant to do so. But now after the 20th June meeting 13 of the board members approved, 1 opposed and 2 abstained.

What is ICANN:

Before we know the potential of this announcement let us first know what ICANN is and what it does.

“Internet Corporation for assigned names and numbers shortly called as ICANN is an non-profit corporation that is responsible for Internet Protocol (IP) address space allocation, , protocol identifier assignment, generic Top-level Domains and country code (ccTLD) Top-level domain name system and root server system management functions. These services were originally performed under U.S Government contract by the Internet assigned Numbers Authority ad other entities. ICANN now performs the IANA functions”

Extract from: icann.org/eng/general/baclground.htm

The next Biggest thing:

The web addresses that we use today end with dot com or dot net. But now we can have hundreds more such domains called Generic Top-level Domains.

Example:

Currently we have only 22 gTLDs.

After the Top-level Domain comes the second-level Domain. When we register a domain name we are actually creating a unique combination of first and second level domains. So we could create millions of domain names. But with the recent update we can create millions of Top level Domains and the best thing is you can use any native language in it.

Soon we can create a Top level domain of any number of characters like for example dot culture, dot literature, dot India or even in any other language.

And the good news is that it will broaden up the opportunities online. Any one with proper, technical, legal, financial investment and infrastructure can register a top level domain name and can sell it at any price to any one.

As of now it is said that it may cost more that $1, 80,000. And may take up to a year to get the domain after completing various formalities.